Research and Standards Update: Our Latest Data, and Powerful Tools For Using It

07/17/2010 06:24 PM

After completing a thorough, two-year review and update to the methodology for calculating national Footprints, Global Footprint Network has published three resources supporting the 2008 Edition of the National Footprint Accounts. They present comprehensive results, provide a step-by-step guide to the equations and calculations, and offer complete transparency of the source data.

The Ecological Footprint Atlas 2008, is a comprehensive presentation of the results of the 2008 National Footprint Accounts. It includes:
• Data tables on the Footprint and Biocapacity of 201 countries, including various subcategories and calculations and dozens of pages of previously unreleased figures.
• Detailed charts, graphics, and technical notes.
• Explanations of the methodological differences between the 2006 and 2008 accounts, including the processes we followed, how the changes were made, and the rationale for making the changes (for example, with the way nuclear energy is accounted for).
• Discussion of the quality assurance procedures.
• Expanded discussion of science and methodology questions related to the Accounts.

Calculation Methodology for the National Footprint Accounts, 2008 Edition provides a framework to allow researchers and organizations to understand the Footprint methodology used in the National Footprint Accounts. The paper offers a thorough explanation of the formulas used to calculate Footprint and Biocapacity and its constituent parts, including land use type, yield factors and equivalence factors.

Guidebook to the 2008 National Footprint Accounts serves as a users guide to the National Footprint Accounts. Geared toward advanced users trying to run the National Accounts for their own research, the Guidebook shows in depth exactly how each and every calculation is done, and where the data comes from.

Also available are the 2008 Data Tables, Excel spreadsheets with detailed Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity results for 2005 (the most recent year for which data are available) for 150 nations with populations over one million in both global hectares and global acres.

Categories:

Comments

Posted by {name_of_commenter} on 12/20/2008 at 06:10 PM
(Cardiff, Wales)

How do you cover nuclear energy, pollution and waste?
The question came up 18 months ago at the Cardiff conference so I looked to see how you handled it

The mining and processing of uranium-ores has a huge footprint - is it ascribed to the mining country or to the power generating and using country?

The radioactive pollution and nuclear waste footprints last for very many generations. Do you give a C-equivalent and do the future impacts count as from the country at the instant of producing-consuming the energy?

I would be grateful if you can point me to e-documents containing the answers to these points.